Flexible submarine repeater



Aug. 20, 1957 G. POUZET FLEXIBLE sum/mama REPEATER Filed Jan. 21., 1953 1 x I |I,| #WA United FLEXIBLE SUBMARINE REPEATER Georges Pouzet, Paris, France, assignor to Compagnie Generale dElectricite, Paris, France, a French corporation Application January 21, 1953, Serial No. 332,385

Claims priority, application France January 21, 1952 8 Claims. (Cl. 17470) be necessary. It is in fact necessary to be ableto group the difierent elements of telephonic repeaters in such manner as to avoid interfering inter-actions, particular 1y when a repeater is arranged for amplification in both directions of transmission. The same problem exists when the relatively large elements necessitated by the amplification of telegraphic signals have to be installed.

Furthermore, it is necessary that such repeater remains sufliciently deformable to be capable of being rolled on the laying drum of cable-laying ships so that the laying of the repeater is effected under the same con ditions as those of the cable itself.

The known flexible under-water repeaters generally comprise a flexible fluid-tight container in which are mounted all the elements of the repeater. These are mounted directly in the flexible container when the latter is itself resistant to pressure. In another instance, they are fitted in one or more pressure-resisting con tainers placed inside the flexible casing, which may or may not contain a pressure equalising liquid surrounding the containers. It is also known to enclose all the pressure-resisting containers and also the connection wires which inter-connect the electric elements contained in the various containers, in a single insulating and impermeable compact plastic mass bonded to the insulation of the under-water cable.

However, these various methods of construction do not eliminate the danger of the flexible casing or the compact plastic mass splitting at the moment when the containers pass on to the laying drum of the cable-laying vessel.

The present invention, by which it is possible to overcome this disadvantage, has for its object to provide a flexible repeater for under-water cable, the electric members of which are fitted in a number of fluid-tight and pressure-resisting containers and are connected to one another by conductors passing through the walls of the containers in sealed insulated terminals, the repeater being characterised in that each container is individually lined with a fluid-tight plastic envelope and that the electrical connections between the members disposed in the adjacent containers as well as between the members of the two extreme containers and the lengths of underwater cable are effected by means of lengths of flexible cable which are fluid-tight longitudinally, and covered with a fluid-tight sheath bonded to the plastic envelope of the containers or to the insulation of the cable.

Each of the containers thus constitutes an independent assembly, which, as regards the members which it contains, ensures at the same time resistance to pressure tates Patent 1 and the water-tight protection against sea-water. The electrical connections by flexible cable between consecutive containers enable the different containers to be fitted freely on the drum of the machines at the time of lay ing without any appreciable mechanical stress occurring either on the fluid-tight envelopes or on the electric con nections.

The articulated repeater is fitted beneath the same armouring as the cable, which makes it possible for the laying to take place under the same conditions as the. cable itself without stopping the movement of .the ship.

One embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention, given by way of non-limitative example, is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l shows two elements of an articulated repeater in partial longitudinal sectional view; and

Figure 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of. an entire repeater section.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, container 1, preferably made of steel is shown and formed in such manner as to resist pressure such as water pressure at a sea bed. This container contains the elements 2 of the repeater; 3 represents the fluidtight envelope moulded on the container 1 and bonded to the sheath 4 of a flexible connecting cable, the other end 5 of this sheath being bonded to the fluid-tight envelope of the adjacent container.

The insulated conductors of the cable, such as 6, pass into the pressure-resisting container by means of insulating terminals 7 sealed in the container wall.

The fluid-tight envelope 3 of each container and the sheath of the cables 4 are formed by a material of the same nature as the insulation of the under-water cable, such for example as a material having a base of rubber, polythene or any other similar material.

As shown in Figure 2, the articulated chain formed by the different containers is fitted in a flexible metallic tube 8 which is not fluid-tight and inside which it has a certain amount of play both radially and longitudinal ly in order to permit the relative displacement of the members during the flexing movements which they will have to withstand at the time of being rolled on to and ofi the laying drums of the cable-laying vessel.

The flexible tube is designed to support the armouring 9 of the under-water cable, beneath which armouring the repeater will be inserted, and to avoid the transmission of radial stresses to the elements of the repeater at the time of laying.

Figure 2 also shows the electric connection between the extreme containers 10 and 11 and the under-water cable 12 by means of flexible connections, the sheath of which is bonded at 13 and 14 to the insulation of the under-water cables.

Separately covering the pressure-resisting containers with a fluid-tight envelope which is an insulator enables these containers to be brought to a potential different from that of sea-water, for example, to the potential of one of the conductors of the under-water cable.

In particular, this arrangement enables the electronic tubes of the repeater to be surrounded by a simple means with an electrostatic screen brought substantially to the same potential as the filaments, thereby avoiding the placing of these tubes in a disturbing field.

I claim: 1

1. A repeater apparatus for underwater cables comprising, in combination, a plurality of pressure-resisting repeater element containers; a fluid-tight sheath bonded to and covering each of said containers; a plurality of flexible conductive interconnecting leads, each extending between adjacent containers and having a length substantially Q. longer than the distance between said adjacent containers;

Patented Aug. 20,1957

a fluid-tight sheath bonded to and covering each of said leadsand bonded at the ends thereof respectively to each fluid-tight sheath covering said adjacent containers between which said leads extend; and an elongated, flexible,

reinforcing tubular housing, pervious-to Water andspaced; fr'omiand surrounding all of'said containers, said housing providing protection against mechanical damage to said containers and leads.

2. A repeater apparatus for underwater cables comprisiing,-in combination, a plurality of pressure-resisting metal repeater element containers; a fluid-tight sheath bonded to and covering eachof saidcontainers; a plurality of flexible conductive interconnecting leads, each extending between adjacent containers andihaving a length substantiallylonger than the distance between saidyadjacent con tainers;afluid-tight sheathbondedto and covering each of said leads and bonded at the ends thereof respectively to each fluid-tight sheath covering said adjacent containers between which said-leads extenchand an elongated,-flexible, reinforcing tubular housing pervious to water and spaced-from and surrounding all of said containers, said housing providing protection against mechanical damage to saidcontainers and leads.

3. A- repeater apparatus for underwater cables comprising, in combination, a plurality'of pressure-resisting metal repeater element containers; a fluid-tight sheath formed of a plastic material bonded to andcovering each of'said containers; a plurality of flexible conductive interconnecting leads, each extending between adjacent containers and having a length substantially longer than the distance between said adjacent containers; a fluid-tight sheath formed of a plastic material bonded to and covering each of said leads and bonded at the ends thereof respectively to each fluid-tight sheath covering said adjacent containers between which said leads extend; and an elongated, flexible, reinforcing tubular housing pervious to water and spaced from and urrounding all of said containers, said housing providing protection against mechanical damage to said containers and leads,

4. A repeater apparatus for underwater cables comprising, in combination, a plurality of pressure-resisting metal repeater element containers; a fluid-tight sheath formed of a plastic material bonded to and covering each of said containers; a plurality of flexible conductive interconnecting leads, each extendingbetween adjacent containers and having a length substantially longer than-the distance between said adjacent containers; a fluid-tight sheath formed of a plastic material bonded to and covering'eachof said leads and bonded at the ends thereof respectively to each fluid-tight sheath covering said adjacent containers be.- tween which said leads extend; and an elongated, flexible, reinforcing tubular housing formed with a plurality of apertures therein and being pervious to water, said housing being spaced from and surrounding all of said containers, said housing providing protection against mechanical damage to said containers and leads.

5. A repeater apparatus for underwater cables comprising, in combination, a plurality of pressure-resisting steel repeater element containers; a fluid-tight sheath bonded to and covering each of said containers; a plurality of groups of flexible conductive interconnecting leads, each group of leads extending between adjacent containers and each group of lead having a length substantially longer than the distance between said adjacent containers, a given lead of each group of leads being conductively connected at opposite ends thereof to said adjacent containers and the other leads of each group of leads being insulated from said adjacent containers and extending into said containers; a fluid-tight sheath bonded to and coveringas a unit each group of leads and bonded at the ends thereof respectively to each fluid-tight sheath covering said adjacent containers between which said pair of leads extend; and an elongated, flexible, reinforcing tubular housing pervious to water'and spaced from and surrounding all of stantially longer than the distance between said adjacent containers, each of said leads being formed into a helix; a fluid-tight sheath bonded to and covering each of said leads and bonded at the ends thereof respectively to each fluid-tight sheath covering said adjacent containers between which said leads extend; and an elongated, flexible, reinforcing tubular housing pervious to Water and spaced from and surrounding all of said containers, said housing providing protection against mechanical damage to said containers and leads.

7. A repeater apparatus for underwater cables comprising, ln combination, a plurality of pressure-resisting steel repeater element containers; a fluid-tight sheath bonded to and covering each of said containers; a plurality of groups of flexible, conductive interconnecting leads, each group of leads extending between adjacent containers and each group of leads having a'length substantially longer than the distance between said adjacent containers, eachgroup of leads being formed together into a helix, a givenlead of each group of leads being conductively connected at opposite ends thereof to said adjacent containers and'the other leads of each group of leads being insulated from said adjacent containers and extending into said containers; a fluid-tight sheath bonded to and covering as a unit each group ofleads and bonded at the ends thereof respectively to each fluidtight sheath covering said adjacent containers between which said group of leads extend; and an elongated, flexible, reinforcing tubular housing pervious to-water and spaced from and surrounding all of said containers, said housing. providing protection against mechanical damage to said container and leads.

8. A repeaterapparatus for an underwater cable having insulated conductors comprising, in combination, a plurality of pressure-resisting repeatercontainers; a fluid tight sheath bonded to and covering each of saidcontainers; a plurality of groups of flexible conductive interconnecting leads, one group. of leads extending between.

an end ofsaidcable and the firstof said containers, another group. of. leads extending between another end of said cable andthe. last of. saidcontainers, and the remaining groups of leads extending between adjacent.

containers, each group of leads having a length substantially longer than the distance between the objects betweenwhich it extends, the ends adjacent a container of the leads of each group being bare, saidbareends extending into the fluid-tight sheath of said container and into the container itself; a fluid-tight sheath bonded to and covering as a unit each groupv of leadsand bonded at the ends thereof adjacent containers respectively. to each fluid-tight sheath covering said containers and bonded at the ends thereof adjacent said cable ends tothe insulation covering the conductors to which the leads are respectively connected; and an elongated, flexiblereinforcing tubular housing pervious to water connected, at the ends thereof to said ends of said cable and spacedfrom and surrounding all of said containers, said housing pro-v viding protection against mechanical damage to said containers and leads.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

